Exchange Club seeks to upgrade the Welcome To Neosho Veterans memorial at flag

Friday

Oct 6, 2017 at 11:00 AM

The large American flag at the intersection of Highways 59 and 60 has long been a Neosho landmark as a Welcome To Neosho Veterans' Memorial but the Neosho Exchange Club would like to enhance the site even more.

Lee Ann Murphy

The large American flag at the intersection of Highways 59 and 60 has long been a Neosho landmark as a Welcome To Neosho Veterans' Memorial but the Neosho Exchange Club would like to enhance the site even more.Plans are in the works to replace the gravel around the flag pole with concrete and add five standing monuments. Each monument would be approximately three feet tall and would include a flag mount so that flags for each military service branch (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard).Other proposed improvements include leveling the wall currently in place, converting the flag pole to electric controls for safer raising and lowering of the flag, painting the flag pole, and adding LED lights to illuminate the new area of the monument.The three large lights which currently illuminate the large flag will be reduced to one. The electrical operations are currently located on the power pole north of the flag but plans call for the electrical to be installed on the back of the wall. It would then be water protected for safety.Exchange Club members hope that the addition of colored LED lights will enhance the overall appearance of the memorial and stand out to visitors during special events held in Neosho.In order to make any improvements, Dave Padgett, Senior, on behalf of the Neosho Exchange Club sought necessary approval from the Neosho City Council during the regular meeting on Tuesday evening.Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) will only allow improvements to a right-of-way if the request comes from a municipality so the Neosho Exchange Club approached the council for assistance."The Neosho Exchange Club has asked the city to partner with them to make improvements at the flag," Interim City Manager Dana Daniel told council members. “All costs would be borne by Exchange Club. We think it is a very worthwhile project and we bring it to council for approval."Daniel also noted that the proposed work will not change the present footprint at the site but will enhance both the look and meaning of what the flag represents.Councilman William Doubek abstained from the vote as a current Exchange Member and former president of the service organization.The Council approved the request made by the Neosho Exchange Club and will approve the improvements with MoDOT so that fund raising efforts can move forward.

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